Over the weekend of October 19th-22nd, I traveled back to Williamsburg, VA, for the Class of 2012’s 5th Year Homecoming Reunion. It was a weekend that I truly needed. When it was over and I was on my way back to my NY apt, I felt a renewed sense of purpose and hope in what I want to do with myself personally and professionally.
The weekend actually started in Richmond, VA, where I was dropped off at the Greyhound station and was picked up by my youngest sister, Beth. I spent the night at her place and the following morning, we met up at my VA Starbucks with our oldest sister, Sarah, and our sweet niece, Katie. We chatted as we sipped our coffee until Beth had to leave for work. Then, I joined Sarah and Katie on a Target run, and finally we went to a fun park near downtown Richmond.
From there, my friend Kaitlyn picked me up and we spent the day in Williamsburg. We did the typical alumni/W&M traditions of lunch at the cheese shop, walking and exploring the ever-changing campus with construction randomly sprinkled throughout, saw the spirited parade and got awesome t-shirts that were thrown out by the activities board, AMP, that I was a member of in college, and finally made our way to the Alumni House to check in.
It was at the Alumni House that we both got to participate in a project that I think will be really cool and important for the college. Next year, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of when the college allowed women to enroll. We found out that it was actually this decision that helped save the college and allowed it to grow at a time when attendance was quite low. Kaitlyn and I went into a room to record our answers to some questions that had been prepared and will be used in some kind of project that will celebrate this moment in our college’s history. I am looking forward to seeing how they end up using our responses.
After we finished at the Alumni House, we checked into our hotel and then went to dinner at Pierce’s BBQ. The last thing we did that night was pretty normal for two Film majors from W&M (and besties who love collaborating with each other), which is we recorded a video for Kaitlyn’s Youtube channel. I feel quite proud of it because it is funny but discusses some serious points I believe accurately describes some of the big lessons I have learned since college. You can watch it (and a plethora of my crazy facial expressions) here.
On Saturday, we went to the Farmer’s Market and grabbed a little bit of breakfast from the coffee shop, Aromas. Kaitlyn had to leave for a wedding, so she dropped me off at the hotel I was going to be staying that evening and I waited for my friends from my freshman hall to arrive.
Within an hour, Kacie and her boyfriend Nick, Meredith and her boyfriend Greg, and Rachel, were in town and we were walking through Colonial Williamsburg, taking photos, and reminiscing about the funny things that had occurred over our four short years there. We got lunch at the Cheese Shop (there’s no such thing as too much Cheese Shop, lol) and ate in the Sunken Gardens. We showed the boys the Crim Dell Bridge and walked around the old portion of campus until we joined our fellow 2012 grads for a photo.
It was awesome seeing some people that we have only kept up to date with over social media. William and Mary fosters a beautiful community of people who even though we hadn’t spoken in years, we all felt immediately closer to each other by saying hello, giving a hug, and chatting about how quickly 5 years has passed and how much has happened in that short time.
After the class picture, we rang the bell at the Wren Building, walked around the newer section of campus, visited a Frat Tailgate in front of the W&M Hall, and met up with even more alum friends that we haven’t seen in awhile. We then visited the place where our group’s friendship (and our group name “M.A.R.K”) started — our freshman dorm, Dupont. It’s a special place because it’s where we had our first conversations, expressed our stress and fears to each other, built an awesome blanket fort while staying up till 4 or 5 in the morning, met some of our college boyfriends, and created a bond that feels only stronger after the past nine years.
Once we took our photos in front of the dorm, we took an Uber back to our hotel and got ready for the Young Guarde event and Late Nite Bash. We all changed our clothes, put on make-up, freshened up, and then took another car to campus for the night’s activities.
The Young Guarde event was only the beginning of a great night. There was a taco bar, a dessert spread, and unlimited wine, beer, and cocktails which we all took advantage of. It was awesome to see more people from our freshman hall and the variety of campus activities that we participated in during college.
Once the Young Guarde event was over, we walked over to the other side of the Sunken Gardens where the Late Nite Bash was starting. Here is where I got inspiration and a great life lesson from someone completely unexpected. My friends and I arrived and we got some drinks and sat and talked for awhile before we did a little bit of dancing. There was an awesome band and the dance floor was fairly empty but gradually filled up throughout the night. When we took a break and grabbed some wine and more water, I ran into someone who I was hoping to see and have a conversation with but wasn’t sure it would actually happen. It was a great interaction because it ended after a lot of dancing, chatting, and trip to the delis with him saying inspirational things to me about how I was pretty, that I had made some awesome choices in life, and that I just had to get out on that dance floor of life and make things happen. It was so surprising because he definitely didn’t have say any of those things to me or even hang out with me as long as he did. After he left for the evening, I felt like maybe there are some great guys out there; that I am brave, strong and can handle myself in the world; and that I am doing ok overall when it comes to my career and figuring out precisely what I want to do. The last part of the evening included my friends and I sharing some cheese fries and drinks at The Greene Leafe Tavern before going back to the hotel for the evening.
My mom got me from the hotel early on Sunday morning because I had to catch a noon Greyhound bus out of Richmond. But first, we got to see my sister Sarah and both my nieces, Lily and Katie, before I was dropped off for a seemingly never-ending 12 hour long trip back to NY.
On Monday morning, I woke up and felt like the weekend had possibly been a dream. I got to see so many people, friends and family, who have made my life so much better by their presence in it. I came back to NY more sure than ever that I’ve actually made the right decisions for myself- whether it was the choice to be single after college, moving to Los Angeles and back 3 years ago, or most recently, moving to New York 3 months ago. This short trip back to college helped me refocus and contemplate the 5 years since graduation. I feel like it reassured me that I’m doing ok and that helps me sleep a little better in the city that never sleeps.
every so often... 
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